Crinan Canal operation

[penfold]

Madness. I doubt SC employ enough staff to do that, it was certainly DIY the last time I went through.

 

[awol]

Does that mean the Dunardry card school has started again?

 

[SaltIre]

Madness. I doubt SC employ enough staff to do that, it was certainly DIY the last time I went through.

The bridges and sea-locks can't be DIY. Accompanied passage by staff might need fewer of them...

 

[oldmanofthehills]

The bridges and sea-locks can't be DIY. Accompanied passage by staff might need fewer of them...

The staff seemed overworked but insisted that they do the locks (and had the winding handles). I do not know if permanent licence holders might be treated differently.

Quite frankly the canal seemed poorly set up for passage with no grab chains in the locks, few waiting pontoons and no bollards or grab chains on the ‘pierheads’ on the approach to the locks or bridges. We spoke to staff who indicated that such had been suggested but that higher management declined to act. There seemed lack of initiative to just fix it themselves.

I have taken yachts and boats through quite a few canals and ship canals and deep sea locks such as Bristol. Crinan seemed the least prepared such that folk onshore are needed even on lockingdown as staff insist on bowline on bollard instead of running loop back to the craft.

 

[SaltIre]

The staff seemed overworked but insisted that they do the locks (and had the winding handles). I do not know if permanent licence holders might be treated differently.

When I worked there, last century, the place was teeming with staff - so if a yottie did something daft and ended up "running water" somebody was generally close at hand to sort it. If they now have much reduced staffing levels one can understand why yotties now don't get to touch the sluices. Are permanent licence holders to be trusted?

 

[dunedin]

………..

I have taken yachts and boats through quite a few canals and ship canals and deep sea locks such as Bristol. Crinan seemed the least prepared such that folk onshore are needed even on lockingdown as staff insist on bowline on bollard instead of running loop back to the craft.

What precisely is wrong with ropes with bowlines on ends, tailed at the boat? Worked for us through plenty of passages through Crinan, Caledonian and across Sweden via Gota and Trolhatte.
Bow rope taken back from bow cleat to genoa winch, stern rope on a second winch and easily managed by one person.
Easy flick gets bowline off the hook even from the bottom of the lock

 

[awol]

What precisely is wrong with ropes with bowlines on ends, tailed at the boat? Worked for us through plenty of passages through Crinan, Caledonian and across Sweden via Gota and Trolhatte.
Bow rope taken back from bow cleat to genoa winch, stern rope on a second winch and easily managed by one person.
Easy flick gets bowline off the hook even from the bottom of the lock

You're doing it wrong Alan! You need someone on the bow holding both parts of a line round a hook or nail but NOT a cleat on the boat; the same at the stern; with you, the skipper, standing at the wheel shouting conflicting commands and, most importantly, the smallest, weakest member of the crew ashore to operate the gates and sluices. It seems to be the way most large AWBs do it so it must be right!

 

[penfold]

The bridges and sea-locks can't be DIY. Accompanied passage by staff might need fewer of them...

Well yes, but aside from that it was all DIY and works well as long as at least one boat out of 4 knows what's what. Otherwise it's the blind leading the blind.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

What precisely is wrong with ropes with bowlines on ends, tailed at the boat? Worked for us through plenty of passages through Crinan, Caledonian and across Sweden via Gota and Trolhatte.
Bow rope taken back from bow cleat to genoa winch, stern rope on a second winch and easily managed by one person.
Easy flick gets bowline off the hook even from the bottom of the lock

Flicking a rope of a hook high above ones head is chancy. Certainly would not work for Bristol channel sea locks which can be 14m (now have pontoons inside portishead lock but did not have originally ). I agree Crinan is small drop but still looping back to boat is fairly standard mooring and the risk of rope jam is less than bowline failing to get clear or snagging on lock wall.

 

[dunedin]

Flicking a rope of a hook high above ones head is chancy. Certainly would not work for Bristol channel sea locks which can be 14m (now have pontoons inside portishead lock but did not have originally ). I agree Crinan is small drop but still looping back to boat is fairly standard mooring and the risk of rope jam is less than bowline failing to get clear or snagging on lock wall.

Each to their own, but IMHO running ropes through a hook and back to boat is much MORE likely to jam in old stonework, where often gaps that rope under tension can get caught in, than bowline on ends ( which is " fairly standard practice"). And if you cannot do the easy rope flick off, surely not a problem as always needs to be somebody ashore anyway to close gates and sluices.
Clearly things get different if 14m drop in locks, but they are the very rare exception, and none anywhere near Scotland.

 

[dunedin]

No self operation of locks nowadays, and they seem to generally have two attendants at each lock, so it might just be possible to do it single handed though clearly not so convenient but I think from what I could see someone else going otherway this June seemed to be on their own. Suggest you speak to the Crinan office

I happened to be at Crinan today so spoke to the Crinan Sealock staff. The suggestion that DIY operation of intermediate locks (ie other than the sealocks and first lock at Crinan) is no longer allowed is apparently not true. Still possible to do the locks yourself if you want, but they seemed to be very well staffed and so generally trying to assist boats wherever possible.
Lock 10 still having some work done on it so it was causing a few slight delays.

Also happened to see and speak to Quandary, who was assisting a single handed boat through today.

PS. Every boat bar one turned up with long ropes with bowlines already tied on the end. One boat arrived and threw up very long ropes (on second attempt) - lock keeper tied a bowline and dropped back down but skipper insisted on looping round and passing back. Stern rope then jammed on stonework whilst locking.

 

[SaltIre]

The Skippers' Guide specifically advises against using running lines, but some skippers will know better.

https://www.scottishcanals.co.uk/wp.../Crinan-Skippers-Guide-Web-Version-Aug-17.pdf

 

[adwuk]

From the Crinan Canal facebook page today:

Please Note: It has come to our attention that some boating forums are claiming that we offer assisted passage. We have not offered assisted passage since 2015 when the cost of providing such a service pushed the transit licence fee up to £15.75 per metre instead of £13.50. Our staff will always provide you with a warm welcome and support where and when they can but please realise moving boats is not their only task. It is physically impossible to navigate a transit through the canal solo. Please be advised to make sure you have adequate crew or a pilot to support. Skippers who arrive solo will be held up at Sea Locks until they arrange crew or a pilot our Operatives will support where possible. If you arrive fully crewed please make sure you put as many of your crew ashore as possible particularly at Lock 2,3,5-13 these locks are all manual.